Teen accused of ‘retaliation’ murder of man whose stepdaughter rejected his advances blows kisses in court as victim’s family looks on

A 17-year-old boy in Texas, who allegedly murdered the stepfather of the girl he started stalking because she rebuffed him romantically, blew kisses during a court hearing with the victim’s family watching in the gallery.

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported it was not clear who the kisses were directed to during the hearing in which a judge increased Cristian Gasca Martinez’s bond from $200,000 to $2 million. Both the victim and the defendant’s family members were in attendance. He is accused of killing 37-year-old Osvaldo Casas in August.

Casas’ wife Judith Molina in a GoFundMe expressed gratitude that the bond was increased. She also thanked people who pitched in to help pay for her husband’s funeral. Some of the money was also used to help raise their baby boy, who was born just three days after the family laid Casas to rest. Molina said she may have to move her family to a new area because her daughter is being “harassed” by Gasca Martinez’s friends.

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As Law&Crime previously reported, the Houston Police Department on Friday announced detectives arrested Gasca Martinez for murder. Gasca Martinez allegedly shot Casas shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 10 in the 600 block of Loper Street in southeast Houston. Cops responded to the scene and found Casas suffering from several gunshot wounds. Paramedics pronounced him dead on the scene.

Police said at the time that Casas confronted a “suspicious” person on his street before the shooting. Further investigation determined that Gasca Martinez had been pursuing a romantic relationship with Casas’ 16-year-old stepdaughter, but the girl told him she was not interested, a complaint says. Gasca Martinez allegedly began stalking the girl. He kept calling the girl despite her asking him to refrain from doing so and she had to block his number, according to a courtroom report from KHOU.

Left: Cristian Gasca Martinez (Houston Police Department). Right: Osvaldo Casas (GoFundMe).

He also reportedly posted threats on social media that included posting photos of him holding a gun. Gasca Martinez then shot Casas “in retaliation for being rejected” by the girl, the complaint said.

On the GoFundMe page, Molina said her husband died “while bravely protecting our family.”

“Osvaldo was overjoyed at the thought of meeting his baby boy and becoming a father to a son,” she wrote.

She described her husband as “a man of deep love and kindness.”